ROCKY HILL, Conn. — As flyers with hate speech are being seen and reported around Rocky Hill, town leaders are ensuring the community that the matter is being taken seriously.
Reports of flyers containing messaging aligned with white supremacy around town have been happening periodically around the state, most recently in Rocky Hill.
"We are aware of the recent papering of neighborhoods with subversive messaging. We take these actions seriously and continue to work with appropriate law enforcement resources on a prompt resolution," town leaders Mayor Lisa Marotta, Town Councilor Christopher Duff and Tom Cosker of the Commission on Inclusion & Innovation said in a joint statement.
The joint statement went on to say that these messages will not be tolerated in the community: "While we understand these messages can be alarming, we recognize they are not representative of our community. We support the numerous community-led efforts shining a light on unity and embracing the gift of diversity in our town."
Residents are also speaking out after flyers were found for a second time in less than a month.
"There’s no place for hate in Rocky Hill or Connecticut," said Brian Donahue of Rocky Hill.
Rocky Hill police said the most recent incident was reported this week in the area of Old Main Street and Goff Brook Lane.
Police said the flyers had similar inflammatory language to the ones found in April which read, “Black Crime Matters” and “Defend White Communities.”
"It’s really disappointing. I don’t think it’s indicative of our town, our community. I mean we’re a very diverse community," said Alan Smith of Rocky Hill.
"It’s absolutely upsetting. As a parent it makes me irate," Donahue said.
He organized a rally in response to that incident that brought people from all different backgrounds together to condemn the messages.
"Rocky Hill community unites against hate. And always will," Donahue said.
Some believe that may be why the community was targeted again.
"I feel like this was in response to that it’s like we fought back and now that got another rise out of them. Whoever they are. Whatever cowards they are," Smith said.
This isn’t exclusive to Rocky Hill. Towns around Connecticut have seen similar messages distributed in the same way over the past year.
"It’s become a very serious problem because what it does is it spreads terror within a community," said Farhan Memon board chair of the Connecticut chapter of the Council on Americn-Islamic Relations.
He said, these incidents should be taken seriously and not brushed off as simply just words.
"While at this stage it’s simply words on a piece of paper it could very quickly escalate into something much more serious," Memon said.
Residents reported seeing flyers around town promoting messaging aligned with white supremacy last month, and those residents attended the April Rocky Hill Commission on Inclusion and Innovation meeting to address it.
"Our role as a commission is to listen and get the input of our community and we got that tonight,” said Cosker told FOX61 during the April meeting.
Anyone who sees these flyers is asked to report them to Rocky Hill police at (860) 258 - 7640.
Gaby Molina is a reporter and anchor at FOX61 News. She can be reached at mmolina@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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